Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Akdeniz Tıp Dergisi, cilt.9, sa.1, ss.1-6, 2023 (Hakemli Dergi)
Objective: Disturbing effects of face masks may be beyond the psychological effect and may endanger healthcare personnel's health. Based on this theory, here, we investigated the mask-related psychological and physiological changes in healthcare personnel working with a surgical face mask for a 4 and 8-hour shift. Method: The study was conducted in a tertiary hospital with 102 healthcare workers between January-March 2021. Individuals with heart/lung disease or current smokers were excluded. Body temperature, respiratory/heart rate, blood pressure, fingertip oxygen-saturation (SpO2) measurements of participants, and the mask-discomfort questionnaire were performed at the beginning, mid and end-shift. Results: Of the 102 volunteers participating in the study, 63 (61.8%) were women and the mean age was 30.92 ± 6.38. The most disturbing mask discomfort was resistance at mid-shift and fatigue at end-shift. The scores of all parameters in the questionnaire were significantly higher at both mid-shift and end-shift compared to the beginning (p=0.000. for all parameters). There were significant increases in scores of humidity, resistance, temperature, salinity, smell, and fatigue at end-shift compared to mid-shift (p=0.001, p=0.023, p=0.024, p=0.022, p=0.013 and p<0.000, respectively). Temperature, blood pressure, heart, and respiratory rate increased significantly (p<0.001, for all) at mid-shift compared to the beginning, while SpO2 decreased significantly (p=0.003). All parameters except diastolic blood pressure showed significant changes at end-shift compared to the beginning. However, there was no significant difference in parameters at mid-shift and at end-shift. Conclusion: Our study revealed significant physiological effects and mask-related discomforts in healthcare personnel working with surgical face masks.